2 Corinthians 2

1 Anyway, I definitely decided that I would not come to visit you again [now. If I had come, I would have spoken severely to you again, and] I would have made you unhappy as I did the last time [I visited you].

But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you with sorrow.

2 [And] if I make you unhappy, I will have made unhappy [the only people who can cheer me up], so (there will be none of you to cheer me up!/who would cheer me up?) [RHQ]

For if I make you sorry, who then is he that maketh me glad but he that is made sorry by me?

3 So, [instead of going to visit you at that time], I wrote a letter [and sent it to you]. I wrote it the way I did so that [you would know what you should do. Then] when I come to visit you, you will not make me unhappy when you should be causing me to rejoice. I was quite sure that all of you [would do what I told you to do in that letter, and because of that] I would be happy and you would be happy, too.

And I wrote this very thing, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is [the joy] of you all.

4 I wrote to you [the way I did] because I felt very troubled and distressed about you. I was even crying very much as I wrote. [My purpose in writing was] not in order to make you feel bad, but, instead, in order that you might know how deeply/much I love you.

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

5 [Now I want to write about the man who] caused all this anguish. [What he did was very wrong, but] I know that it has caused you much more sorrow than it has caused me, because [what he did] has [affected] all of you [to some extent. I say], “to some extent,” [because I do not want to say that he has] done more harm [than he really has done].

But if any hath caused sorrow, he hath caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I press not too heavily) to you all.

6 [Since he has now stopped sinning in that way], the punishment that nearly all of you [decided was right for him] has continued long enough.

Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was [inflicted] by the many;

7 So now, instead [of punishing him any longer], you need to forgive him and deal kindly with him. [If you do not forgive him], he may become so sad that he will begin to [think that you will never forgive him] (OR, will stop [believing in Christ]).

so that contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow.

8 For those reasons, I beg you to [forgive him and accept him into your group again, and by doing that] assure him that you truly love him.

Wherefore I beseech you to confirm [your] love toward him.

9 [I feel sure that you will do as I ask], because when I wrote [severely] to you [before], I did it to test you by finding out whether or not you really would do everything [that I, as your apostle, asked you to do].

For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye are obedient in all things.

10 So [since you obeyed what I told you before, I feel sure that now you will obey what I am writing in this letter] and forgive the man, as I have done, because I indeed have forgiven him for the wrong thing that he did. Anything he needed me to forgive him for, I have forgiven, and Christ knows [that I have forgiven him sincerely. I have done that mainly] to help you [so that you and I will again have fellowship with each other, and that you will accept him into your group again].

But to whom ye forgive anything, I [forgive] also: for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes [have I forgiven it] in the presence of Christ;

11 [I want you to forgive him] so that Satan will not be able to take advantage of [the problems among] us [and make the situation worse]. We know very well [LIT] that Satan is always planning to [cause problems among us].

that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

12 [I will continue by telling you what I did after I wrote to you from Ephesus city]. I went to Troas [city] in order to [tell people] the message [about] Christ. [When I arrived there], I found [many people] who had been prepared by the Lord [Jesus] [MET] [to listen to what I told them about him].

Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and when a door was opened unto me in the Lord,

13 But because my fellow believer Titus had not [arrived with a report from you], I still felt very anxious and concerned [about you]. So, [after spending only a short time at Troas], I said goodbye to [the believers who were there] and came [here] to Macedonia [province to find Titus].

I had no relief for my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia.

14 However, [before I tell you any more about that], I [want to] thank God [for what he is doing. As a great leader of fighting men causes all his prisoners to take part in his victory parade] [MET], God leads us [who are his workers] to always be victorious [over Satan because of our(exc) close relationship with Christ. God causes people to come to] know Jesus Christ as a result of our [(exc) teaching his message. That message is like] [MET] the smell of perfume.

But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place.

15 [When we(exc) tell God’s message] about Christ, it [spreads out among people] like the smell of perfume. [Those who believe the message that we tell them] are saved {[Jesus Christ] saves them} [from the guilt of their sin. But those who reject that message] will be separated from God [forever].

For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish;

16 To those who [are on the way to hell, our message is like] [MET] a foul smell [because it is about dying] and being separated from God forever. But, to those [on the way to heaven, the message that we teach is like] a pure fragrant smell, [because we tell them] that they will live [forever with God. As we think about that, we think] (no one is able [to do] such important work [for God!]/how can anyone be able [to do] such important work [for God]?) [RHQ] (questioned)

to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

17 [But perhaps God considers us(exc) able], because we do not work/act like so many [others whom you know]. They teach God’s message in a way that [they think people will like, and they think that] people will pay them for teaching that way. We [(exc) certainly do not do that]. On the contrary, [as servants of] Christ, and knowing that God is watching us [(exc)], we teach sincerely [the message that] God sent us to proclaim.

For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ.